Konglish:

Remember it is not always English.

Seeing as how I am here to get you speaking, I thought that I might try and help you with pronunciation. When speaking in English (or any language) it isn’t important that you get your pronunciation 100 percent correct. You only need to pronounce your words in a way that a native speaker can understand.

All too often I hear students using “Konglish.” Many Koreans think that these words are English when most of the time they come from the French and German languages (Konglish = French, German, English and Korean mixes). Often the Konglish words that are from the English language have different meanings in English.

Today we are going to look and listen to some common Konglish words. Hopefully after reading and listening to what is on this page you will have a better understanding of the differences between Konglish and English.

Konglish word: Korea

Many times Koreans pronounce this word in a way that is difficult for native English speakers to understand. As you know Koreans have a different name for their country (Han-guk), so it is important when speaking to English speakers to think about your pronunciation. Here is how we pronounce this word:

Konglish word: Pizza

Pizza is an Italian word that has found it's way into every language. Every country seems to have a different pronunciation. In Korea this word sounds more like "peeja." This is very confusing to foreigners.

Please listen and see if you can imrpove your pronunciation for the word pizza. Think about pizza as a different word in Korean and English.

Konglish word: Sunglasses

Sunglasses are a great way to keep the sun out of your eyes. In Korea we say "sun-glass-uh" to describe this object. The pronunciation is very different to the English word. Let's try and improve our pronunciation.

Take a listen and practice saying the word in English. Remember, it helps to think that the Korean and the English are two different words.

Conclusion:

These are just a few common Konglish words. Try and think about how Koreans use foreign words in everyday language. Remember, when speaking with a Native English speaker it is important to understand that Konglish is not always English. Good Luck!